This review addresses autobiographical memory as a subjective process supported by a neural system appropriate for a personal recall capacity. Autobiographical recall activates extensive cortical pathways that converge to the frontal region and its interconnections culminating in the orbitfrontal area. It is a complex neuronal system capable of integrating different aspects of recall such as: self-identity, control, selectivity and emotion. We also analyze the notion of organic amnesia and functional amnesia based on recent findings of changes in the brain related to stress and psychological trauma. Among these evidences, we highlight the morphological and neurochemical disturbances in the brain caused by stressful stimuli. These data and concepts represent a considerable advancement regarding concepts of psychopathology and opens avenues for the understanding of the neurological bases of personality.
memory; cortex; subjectivity; neuropsychology